The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 159

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2000 Bll LOS ANGELES TIMES Southern California news COMPTON Police Chief Faces Cocaine Allegations -i. OP ii LOS ANGELES Jackson Rips Youth Crime Initiative Speaking before L.A. County supervisors, he criticizes measure that would allow prosecutors to try juveniles as adults. The Rev. Jesse Jackson appealed to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to oppose Proposition 21, a state ballot measure that would allow prosecutorsinstead of judges to decide whether a juvenile must be tried as an adult for a violent crime.

"I appeal to you to take a bold step to stop the madness, to reclaim our youth and not reject them," Jackson said. The board was scheduled to vote Tuesday regarding the proposition, which will be on the ballot March 7. But voting was postponed for two weeks to hear testimony from other parties, a representative for Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said. The measure, if passed, would change rules on probation for GENARO MOLINA Los Angeles Times The Rev. Jesse Jackson gets a kiss from Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke before news conference.

youth offenders who commit violent crimes, allow more juveniles to be tried in adult court and require certain juvenile offenders to be held in local and state correctional facilities. Supporters, among them Gov. Gray Davis, say the purpose is to get the most violent offenders tional facilities that would be needed if the measure is approved. "The money can be better spent on early prevention and education, instead of on building prisons," said Ralph Miller, president of the Deputy Probation Officers Union. "Most juveniles do rehabilitate." into adult court.

At a news conference before the supervisors' meeting, representatives of community and religious groups joined Jackson in contesting the measure. One of the main issues discussed was the construction cost of new juvenile correc ment veterans including the association representing Compton police officers contend that their removals are politically motivated. Critics have accused Bradley of trying to oust anyone who does not agree with his policies. Earlier this week, the Compton Police Officers Assn. announced that it had overwhelmingly given a "no confidence" vote to Bradley and City Manager John D.

Johnson. The group had planned to present that vote at Tuesday night's city council meeting, but city officials called off the meeting Tuesday morning. About 50 demonstrators turned up anyway, carrying picket signs reading "Stop the Corruption" and "No More Omar." Det. Ed Aguirre, president of the 120-member group, said Tuesday that the city's complaint against Taylor was "bogus." "If the chief had some kind of dope locker well, there were other people below him, and why are they still working?" Aguirre asked. Supporters of the recall against Bradley have criticized the mayor over his removal of the two police officials and for engaging in what they say is poor leadership and questionable actions.

Among other things, the recall proponents question a vote by Bradley to award $50,000 to a meals program run by his aunt, who also is a City Council member. Bradley was unavailable Tuesday for comment. The charges against Taylor range from the cocaine and handgun accusations to alleged sexual harassment of a female officer and improper use of federal police funds. The city's complaint states that 2 kilos of cocaine were missing from a storage vault, but does not specify when the drug disappeared or who took it. The same is true for the cocaine allegedly found in the locker controlled by the chief.

The complaint does not detail the amount or say where it came from. Officials' 13-count complaint accuses Hourie Taylor of a wide range of misconduct and seeks his termination. By ROBERT J. LOPEZ and BOBBY CUZA TIMES STAFF WRITERS Compton officials have accused Police Chief Hourie Taylor of "negligently and or intentionally mishandling" 2 kilos of missing cocaine and improperly storing an unspecified amount of the drug in a locker under his control. The personnel complaint also accuses Taylor of maintaining lax oversight of the department's property room.

A handgun disappeared from the property room and was allegedly used in a 1997 incident in which a Long Beach police officer was wounded. The 13-count complaint, accusing Taylor of a wide range of misconduct and seeking his termination, is the first official indication why the city abruptly put him on paid leave five months ago. Yet the document filed last week but obtained by The Times on Tuesday provides few details to support its accusations. The filing probably will heighten political tensions that have sparked a recall effort against Mayor Omar Bradley, whom some blame for ousting Taylor and a subordinate captain. Taylor on Tuesday denied any wrongdoing and said he looked forward to clearing himself.

The complaint calls for a personnel hearing by Feb. 10. Compton officials Tuesday did not return calls for comment. Taylor and Capt. Percy Perro-din have been on paid leave since August.

Perrodin said Tuesday that he has yet to be informed why he was removed. Both men are scheduled to appear in Compton Superior Court next week for a hearing on an injunction they filed to force the city to explain their job status. Supporters of the two depart LOS ANGELES Key Member Resigns From Convention Team coming under scrutiny, in part because the committee's leaders have been slow to hire staff and have yet to make some decisions that affect security and transportation arrangements. The local host committee, which includes a number of Mayor Richard Riordan's close friends and allies, also is behind schedule in raising the $35 million it pledged to put on the event. One result of the perceived dithering has been a move by Riordan to take over a larger share of the convention planning an encroachment that convention planners have grudgingly accepted but which some warn may only deepen the problems.

that he would not be leaving if he thought there were problems with the convention, particularly areas that he was helping to oversee: production of the gala, construction work and media relations. "I feel very confident," he said. "We're in a good place." Ron O'Connor, a top official at the party's convention planning group, agreed. Noting that the con-- vention does not start until August, O'Connor said there is plenty of time to take Wer Foley's work and keep the convention on track. Nevertheless, Foley's departure raises another challenge to a convention effort that increasingly is August.

"I really don't want" to give the precise reasons, Foley said, though he added that his desire to spend more time with his family and at his full-time job played a role in his decision. Foley, 50, is a vice president of Northwest Airlines and has a family in Washington, D.C. Foley served as convention chairman for the Democrats' 1996 Chicago convention. He has attended every Democratic National Convention since 1968 and has been involved in planning every one since 1980. Although declining to offer his reasons for going, Foley did stress ByJIM NEWTON TIMES STAFF WRITER Don Foley, one of the most experienced and highly regarded members of the committee organizing this summer's Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, has resigned for personal reasons, though he will continue to advise the effort as a consultant.

Foley declined to say why he decided to leave the planning group just under seven months before the event, which is expected to draw thousands of delegates and as many as 15,000 members of the media to Los Angeles for a week in LOS ANGELES 9 More Rampart Convictions Reversed 20th Annual Fascination of Orchids at South Coast Plaza for an unrelated murder. Julian Lopez Hernandez, who pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to County Jail. Perez now says he and a partner conducted an illegal search, which resulted in the discovery of the drugs. Michael Williams, who pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and was sentenced to state prison. Perez now says he and his partner falsified an arrest report, wrongly indicating that they saw Williams discard the gun in question.

Even though Williams admits that he did have a gun, prosecutors say the case was irreparably tainted by the officers' conduct. Williams is serving 50 years to life for an unrelated murder conviction. Laura Villatora, who pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale and was sentenced to state prison. Perez now says he and a partner lied about having Villato-ra's permission to search her residence, where they found 7 pounds of marijuana. She is serving time on an unrelated conviction and is expected to be deported upon her release later this month.

Two juveniles, whose names and case information were withheld by authorities. but who are under active investigation. Three of the officers remain on duty. One has recently resigned, a police source said. The court action marked the first time prosecutors have sought to overturn convictions not directly linked to ex-officer-turned-informant Rafael Perez, the man at the scandal's center.

Fidler overturned the convictions of: Sonia Castro, who pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to County Jail and probation. Perez now says that, contrary to what his partner wrote in the arrest report, neither officer saw Castro sell drugs. Transcito Hernandez Luna, who pleaded guilty to a drug charge in 1997 in exchange for dismissal of another case. Perez now says he and his partner never saw Luna drop a bindle of cocaine. In fact, he now says, the drugs belonged to someone else.

Allan Manrique Lobos, who pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon. Perez now alleges that two other officers planted the weapon on Lobos. Despite the striking of the weapons case, Lobos remains in state prison The cases of seven adults and two juveniles are the first not connected directly to police scandal's central figure. One victim is freed. By SCOTT GLOVER and MATT LAIT TIMES STAFF WRITERS A judge on Tuesday reversed the convictions of nine more people allegedly framed by officers in the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division.

Seven adults and two juveniles had their cases thrown out by Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler, bringing the number of convictions set aside as a consequence of the ongoing police corruption scandal to 32. One man, George Kenneth Al-faro, was ordered immediately released from prison amid disclosures that an officer allegedly planted a plastic bag of drugs on him before his arrest in May 1998. The tainted cases involved nine officers, four of whom had not been previously linked to the scandal This premier show, sponsored by The Orange County Branch of the Cymbidjurn Society of America, is rated among the top shows in (he country. The nation's leading orchid growers and enthusiasts present an array of beautiful displays, seminars, and competitions officiated by judges from the Cymbidium Society of America and the American Orchid Society, An outstanding selection of orchids will be available for purchase, just in time for Valentine's Pay.

Admission is free. SHOW SCHEDULE: Thursday, February 3rd 10 am, 9 p.m. Friday, February 4th 10 am, 9 p.m. Saturday, February 5th 10 a.m, 7 p.m. Sunday, February 6th 11 WESTWOOD Study: Hysterectomies Urged Too Freely long-standing debate over the frequency of hysterectomies, performed on about 560,000 women annually in the United States.

The most common cause is fibroids, which can cause pain and bleeding. Critics say that hysterectomies have been done far too readily "at the drop of a hat," according to Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health. "I'm not at all surprised" by the research, said Dr. Ivan Strausz, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York and author of a book called "You Don't Need a Hysterectomy." Evaluating the alternatives "takes time, and modern medicine is increasingly a rapidly delivered business." treatment, such as medication. "In lots of those cases the hysterectomy was appropriate, but the quality of the work-up and evaluation were not appropriate," said Dr.

Michael S. Broder, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at UCLA Medical School. But 14 of the 497 hysterectomy recommendations at nine Southern California medical groups were deemed clearly inappropriate given the symptoms, a finding consistent with previous studies. The appropriateness of doctors' decision-making was judged by an expert physician panel and was also evaluated according to the official criteria of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The findings are the latest in a By JULIE MARQUIS TIMES HEALTH WRITER A UCLA Rand Corp.

study has found that 70 of doctors' decisions to recommend hysterectomies were arrived at inappropriately, often without adequate information or consideration of alternative treatments. In many of the cases, hysterectomy may have been the correct procedure but was undertaken without following proper diagnostic or therapeutic steps. The internal examinations known as laporoscopies or laporotomies were not performed on 77 of women with pelvic pain to determine the cause of the pain. One-fifth of women with pain or bleeding did not receive alternative medical South CtkM fkta CrM 41 Bimel wln til Htiu Htwl mi Hmtlh C'm Dm or IxfmmMimi mil lin) 2160 or vUlf www txeriltMKiW4tii.